Damien Duff nearly joined Liverpool

Damien Duff has revealed that he could have joined Liverpool and Spurs during his playing career.

Speaking to Four Four Two the former Ireland international admitted that he had the chance to link up with Spurs in 2006.

"I remember getting a message from Martin Jol, but I was a Chelsea fan after winning titles there so it was something I never really looked at," he said.

Instead Duff moved to Newcastle where he suffered relegation to the Championship in 2008/09.

"I had friends at Newcastle - Scott Parker, Shay Given - and I wanted to give that a real go, but I had a disaster. I gave them everything but sometimes moves don't work out."

Leaving Chelsea proved to be a massive wrench for the Dubliner. "I cried on the day that I left (Chelsea) – looking back, that probably should have told me I was making the wrong call, as I never cried when I left Blackburn, Newcastle or Fulham, or even when I retired. But it was my own decision."

Duff has also revealed that he came close to joining Liverpool on more than one occasion.

"I came close two or three times," he said. "The first was a year or two before I signed for Chelsea (in 2003). I would have gone there, but Blackburn wanted a big fee so not too many clubs could afford to buy me back then!

"Then when I was leaving Chelsea, the same move nearly happened again."